


Right Back to You

by ObeyDontStray



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:33:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24068164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObeyDontStray/pseuds/ObeyDontStray
Summary: Joyce and Hop have been friends since they were kids, but are they growing apart?
Relationships: Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper
Kudos: 17





	1. Seven Minutes

Joyce sighed as she sat cross legged just outside the band of teenagers. It was a week until graduation and she felt like she was wasting time, sitting at this boring party of Benny’s. 

Benny was like a local celebrity in school. Through working with his Dad at the restaurant, he already had his own small place (that he rented from his dad) and a car. So it wasn’t the height of luxury, but the place was just big enough to hold the ‘cool kids’ of their class.

Joyce fiddled with the hem of the sleeve of her thin black sweater. How she had been invited to this party, she had no clue. Well, she did know. Karen had dragged her here. And so now she sat here nursing a beer that she hated the taste of and trying her hardest to disappear. 

She watched as Benny spun the bottle and it landed on Marissa and the crowd busted out in laughter. “No no no!” She protested but the group broke into chants of ‘CLOSET! CLOSET! CLOSET!” 

After enough goading, the two teens, with Benny twice as big as Marissa’s thin frame, crowded into the closet. “Enjoy your seven minutes!” Kevin Vanderbuilt, the school quarterback, grinned as he shut the door on them. 

Everyone waited with bated breath as music played in the background just a bit too loud.

Joyce shivered to herself, thinking how embarrassing it must be to come out of that closet with everyone staring. Honestly, how naughty can you get up to in seven minutes? It was a stupid game, she decided as she drank from her too-warm beer and had to work her hardest to swallow it. 

There was another cheer as the two emerged. Marissa had a blush across her cheeks and her lipstick was just a tad bit smudged. The small crowd hooped and hawed, causing a big ruckus.

The game continued and Benny’s dog, Sparky, strutted over to Joyce and lay his grey head on her knee. He was an older dog, had been Benny’s childhood dog, and Joyce had slowly made friends with him over the course of the night. Joyce stroked his head and kissed his droopy ear. “You understand, right? Humans are dumb, aren’t they?” She said lowly to the dog who huffed in response. 

Another pair, Chrissy and Joey, ended up in the closet. Joyce looked over at Jim, Chrissy’s on and off again boyfriend, and noticed a scowl on his face. If what she heard was right, this was an off week for the pair. Still, he didn’t look too happy as he stared down Joey. Joyce missed Hopper. 

They were best friends as children until he was old enough to notice girls. Joyce just always figured she wasn’t blonde enough for him. Not curvy enough. And her skirts weren’t short enough. Still she had a pang of jealousy whenever she saw him watching the closet door with a glum look. 

Joyce was suddenly glad Lonnie wasn’t around, secretly thankful that Benny and Hop didn’t get along well with him. Lonnie would have made her play. He would have gloaded when he ended up in the dark with another girl and probably start a fight if she ended up with anyone else.  
The night wore on and Joyce laid on her side behind Karen, still petting Sparky. 

“Are you just gonna spend the whole night petting the dog?” Karen asked over her shoulder. 

“Are you gonna spend all night playing that stupid game? I want to go home, Karen!” 

“Alright, this is the last round then I’ll take you home. It is almost eleven, my parents will kill me if I’m not home by midnight.”

Ted Wheeler called out from another part of the house and Karen jumped up, eager to find him. They had been having this odd sort of fling. He’s rich, and Karen was ready to get hitched straight out of highschool, but they agreed to date around then decide after graduation. In other words, thinly covering up the fact that Ted had some major commitment issues. 

Joyce completely fazed out, facing away from the circle with Sparky curled against her chest. 

There was a loud rush of voices and she tried to block it out. She had a splendid headache blooming at the back of her skull. The half of the beer she managed to get down was starting to wear off and between that and the noise, she was aggravated and tired. Karen would probably get her home past both of their curfews now that she was wrapped around Ted’s finger somewhere. 

“JOYCE!” Benny’s loud voice pulled her out of her own thoughts and she sat up before looking around at the party. 

She sat up and the whole group was looking at her. There was a gap where Karen had been sitting, and it just so happened that Joyce was sitting in just the right place for the bottle to be pointing at her. 

She scanned the group’s faces and couldn’t determine who had been the one to spin it. 

“Guys, I said I wasn’t playing.” She said sternly. “Come on, this is the last spin!” One voice chided. “Yeah, he hasn’t gotten a turn yet, you gotta go!” 

“Closet! Closet! Closet!” They chanted again. “Someone will take you home if you just go in the closet just this once!” Benny said.  
She looked around the group and saw that Hopper’s ears had grown red, a telltale sign that he was embarrassed. 

“Who spun?” She asked and the group all pointed at Hop. He shrugged. 

“Come on Joyce, let’s go sit in the dark and get this over with. I won’t do anything.”

Joyce scoffed and Hopper made the boy scout hand sign. “No funny business, Scout’s honor!” 

She shook her head and stood, her head held low as she walked to the closet. She sat in the corner of the closet. She could see Chrissy giving her a death glare and she drew her knees up to her chin, making herself as small as possible in the tiny dark space. 

“Relax, Chrissy!” Jim said on his way. “Don’t look so bitchy. Joyce is just a friend.”

Just a friend? Why did that sting a little? Sure, she thought about Jim’s handsome smile sometimes and missed him, but she had never liked him like that. She wasn’t going to do anything with him in here. 

He sat down beside her and sucked in a breath. The crowd began laughing when “Put Your Head on My Shoulder’ began playing. 

“Make sure and hold her tight, tiger!” Benny goaded before he shut the door. 

The music was faint inside the closet but she could hear Jim breathing beside her in the dark, and she sniffled. 

“It’s just me, Joycie. I’m sorry you got sucked into this.” He apologized. 

“Why couldn’t you have landed on Chrissy?” 

“I’m glad I landed on you, so I could apologize for my idiot friends dragging you into this. You’re clearly not having a good time.”

She felt a small tug at her hand that was laying on the floor between them, and she realized that it was his pinky, ever so slowly wrapping around hers in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. 

“This is so dumb. Remember that time we were playing hide and seek and I hid in the closet? You couldn’t find me so you just wandered off and left me in there for like half an hour.”

Joyce chuckled. “Maybe I didn’t want to find you, you lou bobby!” He laughed, remembering that nickname that she had used when she was a kid. Whenever someone made her mad, she would stomp her foot and call them a lou bobby. 

“God, I haven’t thought about that in years!” He chuckled. “I think you are a lou bobby, you haven’t been talking to me anymore.” He said, his hand moving to cover hers and his fingers wrapped around the side of her palm. 

“Only because you’re up Chrissy’s skirt all the time!” 

“Is that jealousy?” He taunted playfully. 

“Eww! So gross!” She laughed. “I was there when you pooped your pants in elementary school!” 

He let out a loud chuckle, squeezing her hand. “Yeah? Well I was there when you took a swig of straight tequila, puked it up, then asked who puked?” 

“Not as bad as pooping your pants.” She teased. 

“Better than that time you puked on me.” “You knew I was sick!” She protested. “And you came over anyway!” “And you threw up my Mom’s chicken noodle all over me!” 

They were both laughing when the door opened. Quickly they jerked their hands apart and into their own laps. 

“Oh! Oh! They’re both smiling! Something happened!” Benny called out. 

“Ewww!” Jim said, passing Joyce a wink when no one was watching. “Gross!” She added in, shoving Jim’s shoulder and catching him off guard so that he fell over and began laughing. 

Chrissy peeped in just as Joyce wrapped her hands around his arm to pull him upright, both of them laughing. 

She made a noise of frustration and hurt. “Joey, let’s leave! I don’t want to be here anymore”

Jim shook his head and stood up, offering Joyce his hand. She took it and he helped her out of the closet. “Wanna go get some beer?” He asked Joyce. 

“Can you just take me home?It’s already past my curfew.”

“Shit!” Jim said. “Nope, fifteen till. Come on, I can get you home by then!”

“You’re a life saver!” She smiled.

“Your welcome, Lou Bobby!”


	2. What a wonderful world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Jim beat curfew and get her home in time?

Music came on when Hop started the car and Joyce wrapped up tight in her sweater. "Come on Hopper I need some heat, it's super cold!" 

"Oh just give her a second, she'll heat up." He said as he backed out of the driveway. Joyce lived close, he could get her home in fifteen minutes if he did a little speeding…

She reached for the radio. "I hate this song." Jim brushed her hand away. "I like it! WHOP WHOP A DO WOP A WOP BAM BOO!" He sang out with a flourish looking at her.

"HOPPER! MAILBOX!" She squeaked. He made a surprised noise and moved his eyes back to the road, correcting the car on the road. 

"You're drunker than I thought! God I can't believe I let you drive!" 

"Can I be honest Joyce?" Joyce sucked in a breath waiting for whatever he was about to say, but instead he started singing, badly, along to the song playing on the radio. 

"Don't know much about history, don't know much biology. Don't know much about a science book, don't know much about the French I took. But I do know that I love you and I know that if you love me too, what a wonderful world this would be!" 

"Hop what were you going to say?" 

He glanced at her quickly with a smirk then back to the road. "That just happened….that's everything I was going to say and that song came on!" He laughed. "I like like you Joyce. I think I love you!"

"You're drunk, James Hopper."

"And you're beautiful! Look! Here we are, safe and sound!" He said as he pulled into her driveway. "With...nine minutes to spare." Joyce moved to leave the car and reached out to take her wrist. 

"I just laid everything out there and you're gonna leave?" He said, disappointment spreading over his face. Joyce glanced at her watch. "We do have...eight minutes?" She said with a flirty grin and that told him everything he needed. 

Jim leaned across the seat and she took his face in her hands. The kiss was awkward at first, clumsy fumbling of a first kiss, but damn Hopper was good at it once they got used to each other. 

Was she really kissing her best friend right now? 

"Why didn't we do this earlier?" He teased against her lips.

She playfully whaped at his shoulder and moved to reach behind her and let herself out, halfway falling out. 

"You got your seven minutes after all!" She teased as she stood and straightened her clothes. "See you in class tomorrow Hopper." She said, a girlish smile across her face.

He winked at her and leaned towards the passenger window. "I love you Joyce Horowitz!" He yelled out. 

She shushed him, her finger laying over her wide grin. "Hop! Quiet! People are sleeping!" He winked at her and she shook her head and turned around, hiding the biggest grin she has ever worn. 

"I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love!" He warbled along to the song, turning up the volume as he drive away. 

Now the whole neighborhood would know Jim had been cruising their neighborhood in that damn GTO again, she was never gonna hear the end of it from her parents.

She hummed to herself a little as she headed up her steps, her cheeks hurting from smiling so hard.


End file.
